Always Yours
by SweetCheri
Summary: "They're my kids! You all belong here!" Begging won't stop Rei. After months of taking care of their children by himself, constantly exhausted and lonely, Rei is fed up with Kai's behavior and takes their young children to China; leaving Kai all alone in their big empty house... Will he figure out that he can't live without them? Three shot, honestly WAY better than the summary!
1. Chapter 1

_Anyone who follows me knows I'm in the middle of writing **Positive **but the most horrendous thing happened...my computer BROKE. Yes, hell. It's in the process of being fixed, thank GOD I have my files backed up on a USB, but this little idea popped into my mind for a three-shot and I figured I'd go with it. It is in no way related to **Positive **but I've enjoyed writing it so far! Maybe a bit sad, but fun to write nonetheless. I'll update my other fic soon enough, but for now, enjoy! _

**_Disclaimer: _**_In no way do I own Beyblade or any of its characters. All unrecognizable characters belong to me, and the plot idea belongs to me too! _

**_Warnings:_**_ Obviously it's boyxboy, with mentions of mpreg, some angst but enough fluff to balance that out eventually. I didn't really edit this so there could be a few mistakes in it, I hope not too many. Other than that, a few curses. Oh and a bit of OOCness, but it's set a few years AFTER the Bladebreakers, so that's to be expected right? _

* * *

CHAPTER ONE

"Papa, why isn't daddy with us?" A soft voice asked, making Rei wince. He took a deep breath and looked down at the little girl in the chair next to him, forcing a small weak smile.

"I told you kitten." He said, gently brushing hair back from her face. "Daddy has a lot of work to do. He…he needed to stay to work." She pouted and he touched her bottom lip with his finger, making her suck it back in. "But you'll get to see uncle Lee and auntie Mariah, that'll be fun right?" She brightened a little and nodded, swinging her legs back and forth as they were still too short to touch the floor.

Rei swallowed and looked at his hands, forcing back the tears that began to sting in his eyes. He closed them so they wouldn't spill over, sighing softly and focusing. He had to be strong. He had to be strong for them. Opening those sad golden eyes, he looked over at Mai who was playing with the small stuffed cat in her lap, petting it thoughtfully as she smiled.

_God she looks so much like Kai. _He thought, as he had a million times since she was born.

Their four year old daughter had resembled her Russian father since day one. She had the soft dark navy hair, though as it grew it seemed to be getting a little lighter, as if taking on the silvery tones of his hair as well as the navy. Her hair had grown and now fell halfway down her back, with her bangs cut short to her eyes and a few pieces framing her face. She had fair skin, not as pale as Kai but not as tanned as Rei himself, and her features were so much like Kai's. The way she'd frown or smile was identical to his, Rei often caught himself finding Kai's usual expressions in her own. It was weird, being a parent and noticing little things like that. He'd never been able to understand how children could resemble their parents so much, but now he understood completely. Though she did take after him too, he knew as much. Her round golden eyes, framed by thick lashes, were always bright and happy, and whenever she smiled it revealed two tiny fangs much like his own. Her little 'kitten teeth' as Kai so fondly called them, and her eyes were the most noticeable resemblance.

"Where's Uncle Tala?" She asked, looking up from her toy cat. Rei sighed and forced another smile.

"He and Uncle Bryan are probably at home." He answered quietly, understanding that Mai had always been a curious one. Just like him, Kai had always said.

"Why they not come?" She asked in that sweet childish voice and he swallowed back more tears.

"Oh love, they needed to stay and help daddy." He whispered and she nodded sadly.

"We see them soon though, right?" She asked, hope shining in those wide golden eyes. He couldn't help but feel his heart ache, looking into his daughter's hopeful eyes.

"I hope so." Rei murmured and she smiled, happy with this answer. "Do you have to go to the bathroom?" He asked and she shook her head, playing with her cat again. "Hungry? Thirsty?"

"Apple juice!" She exclaimed and her laughed softly.

"Okay."

The airport was quiet at this time of night, or the morning one could say. The TV on the wall, muted, said it was three forty in the morning. It wasn't very busy either; people kept to themselves, some napped, some read, most just sat around and waited for their flight. The snow outside was freezing cold, the wind howling quietly on the other side of the glass, but the airport was warm and comfortable. Mai, who he'd woken up around twelve to get to the airport, had yet to settle again. She was hyped on the idea of going somewhere, of seeing China. They had only taken her to China twice before, when she was a few months old and when she was two. He had yet to travel with two children, and without Kai it would probably prove to be difficult. He knew they had an eight-hour flight ahead of them, he hoped at least Mai would sleep.

"Here kitten." He said softly and handed her a juice box he produced from the diaper bag. She stuck the straw in and began to suck at the juice, smiling and settling back into her chair with the stuffed kitten.

A quiet cry came from the chair next to him and he smiled gently, turning to rock the car seat that their second child was napping in. Misha blinked wide crimson eyes up at him, sniffled, then began to cry softly.

"Relax." Rei cooed softly, lifting the infant from his seat and holding him close.

Rocking him back and forth, he kissed the top of Misha's head and closed his eyes, breathing in that comforting baby smell. Only eleven months old, Misha was fussier than Mai had been at that age. He rarely slept through the night, always needed to be held, and cried more in a month than Mai had in a year. Despite the sleepless nights and constant drowsiness, Rei adored their son jut as much, as any parent would their children. Misha had inherited his raven black hair, through it was still thin tufts on top of his head, though he had inherited Kai's wine colored eyes as well. His skin was the same fair tone as Mai's, and he also had tiny kitten teeth that had just started to come through, a painful teething process it had been so far. Cradling him close, Rei kissed his forehead and kept him close until the infant settled and relaxed in his arms. Glancing across at the other bench of seats, he noticed the sympathetic looks he was getting.

_Single parent, two young children, oh yeah thanks lady. _He thought bitterly, wrapping Misha in a blanket and setting him back in his car seat.

He'd never imagined his life to turn out the way it had so far. For the past five years he'd been with Kai and now, at only twenty-one years old, he was in a tough position. Being with Kai… he could never regret having fallen in love with his captain. It took only a year. At sixteen they were going out and at seventeen Rei discovered he was pregnant.

_Biggest shock of life__…_Rei mused as he combed his fingers through Mai's hair as she rested her head in his lap.

Kai hadn't missed a beat though. He'd proposed soon after finding out and at eighteen years old he'd been married and gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl he'd ever seen. Mai had been…a gift. His neko-jin genetics had been what gave them that gift, but he still considered her to be a gift from some higher being. He was still…amazed, every time he looked at her or their son. Misha had been planned, around Mai's third birthday they'd started trying again. And then there was the four of them. Living happily in Moscow, in the huge mansion Kai had called their house, their dreams a reality. Rei felt charmed, like he was too lucky. Maybe he was too lucky. He'd been given a perfect man, two perfect children, a stable life; hell they had no worries. And that was when Rei really took a good look at things. Misha had been about five months old when it started, the…distance. It started out innocently enough, just a couple extra hours at work, the odd very late night at the office, a few weekends of overtime that never used to be necessary but now really were. Money was never an issue, never for them after Kai was left with his family's fortune, but his multi-million dollar corporation was important to him, so Rei understood. He truly did. Every night he fed the kids, put them to bed, kissed them goodnight and told them papa and daddy loved them very much. It was about two months later that it began to wear on him.

Rei spent every damn day in that house, and not that he didn't love - and he absolutely did love - spending every day with their children, watching them grow. But it was just that Kai was missing it. He missed the little important moments for a parent. He missed Misha's first word - kitten -, and Mai singing a song that she'd practiced all day to sing - only to find out that he daddy was staying late at work. Initially upset, Rei had calmed her down and told her to sing it to him, which she had. And it had broken Rei's heart that Kai had missed it. Misha was almost eight months old when Tala started noticing it too. The redhead, who often came over to help out and play with the kids, began to mention that Kai was home less and less and that Rei looked…well exhausted. It was a couple of nights ago that he'd finally broken down in front of the redhead and admitted that he couldn't handle it anymore. He would not, could not, hire some sort of nanny - absolutely refused - and said that if Kai didn't want to be apart of his children's lives…well then that was that. Tala had pleaded with him to talk to Kai, only to be told that Rei had made so many efforts. So many wasted efforts. He'd tried, over and over, but that always caused a fight, a very loud fight, where a lot of things would be said. Though their fights always ended with them in bed, apologizing, physically expressing their love, it wasn't enough.

Just a few hours earlier he'd sat down at the dining table, near Kai, and had set down the plane tickets very quietly. Kai had taken one glance at them, narrowed his eyes, and demanded to know what they meant.

"_Kai I__'__m leaving.__"_

"_Leaving?__"__  
_

"_I__'__m going back home__…__to China.__"__  
_

"_Like hell you are.__"__  
_

"_And I__'__m bringing Mai and Misha with me.__"__  
_

"_You will __**not **__take my children away from me!__" _This was accompanied with a loud bang of his fist on the table, making Rei wince._  
_

"_I__'__m not Kai, I never would, but__…__I...I think maybe you need some time. Some space.__"__  
_

"_They__'__re my kids Rei! You__'__re my husband__…__no. You belong here.__"__  
_

"_I__'__m__…__No I__'__m not sorry.__"__  
_

"_What?__"__  
_

"_I am so done apologizing for this! For your__…__ behavior. If you didn__'__t want this family Kai, then you shouldn't__ have brought our beautiful children into the world because they don__'__t __**deserve **__this!__"__  
_

"_They don__'__t deserve this? What, this luxurious life where they have nothing to worry about? Where you can stay home with them all day, where they are loved and taken care of? Where they ca grow up safe and happy and carefree? Rei, I would__'__ve __**killed **__for that as a kid.__"_

Rei could remember the look that flashed across Kai's face, that look of anger. Rei had stood from the table then, shaking his head and sighing tiredly.

"_Just some time.__"_He'd whispered and Kai had stood, finally something broke inside of him. Panic. Fear. His eyes shone with both.

"_Don__'__t Rei. Don__'__t leave. I-I__…__Rei don__'__t.__"_

It broke his heart, staring up into Kai's desperate eyes as he realized that this wasn't their usual fight; this one ended with him leaving with their two kids. This was serious. Kai had grabbed his hands, kissed his fingers; Rei had felt the tremble of his hold.

"_Don__'__t take them. I need them, I need you.__"_

"_Kai I__…"_

No, he had told himself, **don****'****t**. Don't give in. He'd pulled his hand out of Kai's hold and wiped away the tears that spilled down his cheeks, wrapping his arms around himself and staring at the eyes of the man he'd fallen in love with. Outside it was blowing snow, inside their house still felt colder than it ever had, despite the fireplaces being lit and the heat on. He'd felt cold.

"_I think you__…__you need to get your priorities straight Kai.__"__  
_

"_Rei-__"__  
_

"_Mai loves you, Misha loves you, I still love you.__"__  
_

"_Then stay.__"_

He'd left half an hour later, cradling Misha to his chest and holding a sleepy Mai's hand. He'd lead their daughter to the front doors and pulled on her boots and coat, slipping on her mittens and putting a hat on her head. Kai had stood there with the most broken, most heart breaking expression on his face. In the five years he'd been with Kai, he'd only ever seen the phoenix cry a handful of times. When they'd first found out about Mai, when they'd gotten married, when Mai was born, when Misha was born, and then at that moment.

"_Daddy?__"_

Mai's voice had been so soft and tired, and she'd yawned as she stepped forward to be enveloped into his arms. He'd been kneeling in front of her, face pressed to her hair as she nuzzled his neck, and Rei had seen his shoulders shaking as he cried. Kai, as much as he used to want others to believe, was one hundred percent capable of feeling every human emotion, and once something got to him he couldn't fight it. He could sometimes hide it, but nothing like this could be hidden.

"_You not come?__"_ She'd asked in the most innocent of voices.

Kai had pulled back and shook his head, brushing hair from her face, kissing her forehead. He'd whispered how much he loved her, told her he'd never abandon her, that he loved them all so much. His soft Russian voice murmured quiet words in her ear in his native tongue and she'd smiled, hugged him tightly and whispered heart breaking words.

"_I love you too daddy.__"_

Rei had told her it was time to go and he watched Kai visibly crumble. He'd staggered as he stood, then found his way over to them, shaking his head, eyes pleading with him. Rei had swallowed back his tears, though a few rolled down his cheeks, and Kai had finally resigned. He allowed Kai to take Micha from his arms and watched the Russian cradle his baby boy close, whispering the same soft promises, murmuring in Russian, crying silently. He brushed a thumb over the infant's cheek, looking down into tired half open red eyes, and kissed his forehead. Handing him back into Rei's arms, he pulled back slowly and stared at Rei, shaking his head. The moment they were in the car Rei had felt a certain numbness come over him. And he'd felt numb up until then, not really allowing himself to feel the grief that threatened to overcome him. A sudden announcement was made in Russian over the airport sound system, and he sighed, shifting a half asleep Mai of his lap and helping her stand.

"Alright, time to board the plane." He said and she nodded, rubbing her eyes.

Ten minutes passed and they were comfortably seated in first class seats on their way to China. Misha was in Rei's arms, wrapped in a large blanket, and Mai had her large first class seat to lay out in, a pillow under her head as she finally fell asleep again. Rei rocked Misha, and being the baby he was he continued to sleep peacefully in his arms. The plane filled with tired looking people, and Rei was thankful that they had seats to themselves. The lights were suddenly dimmed and someone announced that they were taking off soon. Silently, Rei watched out the window as they began to roll down the runway, picking up speed, smoothly rising into the air. Only then, with his two children sleeping blissfully unaware, did he let himself cry.

"Kai." He whispered and closed his eyes as he began to sob.

* * *

_Awwe poor Rei...I love making him all sad. So that's it for chapter one, I mentioned above that I plan for it to be a three-shot, I've got my ideas to fit the three long-ish chapters anyway. I LOVE the kids names, one is Chinese and one is Russian. Mai is a name that I found and loved - in Chinese it means 'ocean or elegance', which I think suits her character. It took me awhile to find a Russian boy name that I really liked, and in the end I made a list of five names and made my friend pick one at random; I'm happy she picked Misha in the end, it was my favorite. Plus I was happy that they both had names that started with 'M'. Anyway, I **adore** the names. _

_Hope you enjoyed it! Review and tell me what you think, the next chapter will for sure be up shortly! _


	2. Chapter 2

_So I'm back with chapter two of **Always Yours**! This one focuses a little more on Kai for awhile, and Rei is still sad..and YAY I get to bring Tala into it - I love that damn redhead. Anyway, thank you for the reviews on the last chapter, and I'm happy to see so many views. I know I STILL haven't updated **Positive **but I will soon; I have the chapter written I just have to edit it and I'm super lazy lately. Anyway, enjoy the second chapter and review to tell me what you think!_

_**Disclaimer and Warnings in the first chapter!**_

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CHAPTER TWO

It was dark. Very dark. And quiet. The only sound was the clinking of ice and liquid in glass, swishing around every once in awhile. Sometimes a sob. The odd growl. Kai hadn't made it far since Rei had left, two months had passed, he'd been painfully keeping track of the days Rei was gone. He'd watched the most important people in his life, his only reason to live, walk out of his life. Gone forever? Fuck if he knew. Hours had passed…He vaguely wondered what time it was. It was getting light outside, that meant it was nearly morning. He hadn't answered any phone calls, though he always checked to see who was calling in case it was Rei.

The Russian sat in his office, though the room had a chill. The fire had long since died down to embers and outside there was still snow blowing. A tall bottle sat on his desk, beside another. Many more empty bottles sat around his desk, a few were shattered across the room, having been thrown at the wall. The only downside to having a very high tolerance to alcohol: it took you that much longer to actually drink enough to begin to forget your problems. His problems were all he could think about though. Had Rei really left? Left with his daughter and son? The pain burned in his stomach and he downed the rest of his drink, filling up his cup again with a tired sigh. He'd never felt more alone. Normally their house, though very large, was filled with sound. Mai's laughter, her singing, her constant questioning of everything. Misha's crying or baby talk. Rei's soothing voice, the television playing some children's show, the radio playing music as he cooked and watched the kids. And the smells, the smells were gone too. Baby powder, strawberry shampoo, whatever Rei was cooking for lunch, his lover's mint shampoo…Kai mused about how he'd forgotten how lonely this place could get. Slowly, he lifted his glass back up to his lips and took a sip, feeling the burn.

He didn't deserve Rei. Oh by no means did he deserve the love he received from the neko-jin, the boy he'd fallen in love with as a teenager and had eventually created a life with. He didn't deserve it. Nor did he deserve the unconditional love Mai and Misha gave him; the admiration in his daughter's eyes always warmed his heart, but he knew she shouldn't admire him. Misha would gaze up at him with eyes identical to his own, and he'd feel his stomach do a nervous flip. That was his son. His own flesh and blood. He'd die protecting them, he'd do anything for them. But by no means did he deserve them, they were too good, too perfect to be his.

Getting Rei pregnant had never been something he thought even possible, and the moment the shock of the news faded he knew what he'd had to do. At only seventeen, Rei was stunning. He'd never seen anything more beautiful or breathtaking as Rei, and pregnancy did not change this. At six months along, they'd gotten married, and three months later Mai had been born. His own baby girl. A sob sounded through the room and he vaguely felt tears running down his face as he sipped from his glass again. When they found out, three years later, that they were having a baby boy, Kai couldn't even describe how he felt. Thrilled. Anxious. When Misha was born he'd officially devoted himself to his family, in the sense that he could never leave them. They were his family, his life, his only reason to live. And now…now they were gone.

"Fuck." Kai muttered, followed by a few Russian curses and he downed his glass again.

"Well this is a pathetic sight." A cold voice said form across the room and slowly he turned his head, looking towards the large doors of his study.

"Fuck off Valkov." Kai growled tiredly, tipping the bottle back towards his glass, refilling it.

"So they're gone. Christ I never though Rei would be able to actually do it." The redhead mused as he walked forward, shaking his head. "You really fucked up, didn't you?" Kai shot him a wary glare and took a long sip of his drink, sighing in exhaustion. "China right? Rei told me that's where he'd take them."

Kai angrily clenched his fingers into a fist, his jaw clenched as he stared at nothing in particular in the dark room, trying to ignore the redhead who stood in front of his desk. He stared at Kai and sighed, shaking his head again.

"Did you even put up a fight?" He asked, his voice even colder than before. "Did you beg Kai? Did you beg him to not leave, not take your children away. Did you tell him you'd change?" No, Kai thought, no he hadn't. "Because that's what Rei wanted to hear Kai."

"How the fuck would you know?" Kai snarled and Tala laughed, though it was bitter.

"Are you kidding?" He asked, sitting himself down on the edge of the desk, eyeing the empty packs of cigarettes and the ash tray full of cigarette butts; Kai had quit when Mai had been born. "Kai _I've_ been there for more special moments than you have in your kids' lives. You miss…you miss everything."

"Not true." Kai muttered through clenched teeth and Tala narrowed his eyes.

"Rei is fucking exhausted alright? He can't do it alone, he never wanted to do it all alone." Tala growled, as he'd always felt a certain protectiveness for the neko-jin. "He tries so hard Kai, but he didn't have kids with you only to be a fucking single parent. Do you not care about them this much?"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Kai yelled, standing, swaying, glaring at Tala. "They are my kids Tala! My own fucking KIDS. And he just took them away."

"He didn't want to." Tala added in an even voice and Kai narrowed his eyes again.

"You act as if you know Rei, _my husband_, better than I do. What, you drag him off to bed too Tala? Have you already grown tired of Bryan who-"

A cold hard slap across the face shut him up. Tala glared, but lifted one delicate eyebrow as he crossed his arms.

"Are you done being fucking stupid?" Tala asked and Kai closed his eyes, fighting the tears that spilled down his face anyway as he nodded slowly.

"They're gone." Kai breathed and his shoulders shook with the intensity of his sobs.

"Yes they are." Tala said in a calm collected voice and leaned forward, tipping Kai's chin up to look into his eyes. "Now what are you gonna do about it?"

The air was humid and warm even though it was still early in the morning, much different than Russia had been when they left. No snow in sight. Pink cherry blossoms were blooming on trees, leaves shook in the gentle wind blowing, and the cloudless sky was bright blue. China was as beautiful as he remembered it always being. Rei sighed softly, finishing tying off his braid and walking out of his bedroom.

"There's papa!" Lee said enthusiastically and Misha squealed in delight, kicking his legs in excitement. Rei chuckled and walked over to the two in the kitchen, smoothing down Misha's unruly tufts of black hair. "Mariah's outside with Mai." Lee said gently as he switched Misha to his other arm. Rei made himself a cup of tea and nodded, turning around.

"Let's go out there then." He said softly.

Lee followed with Misha resting against his chest, and they all took seats on the comfortable chairs around the outdoor glass table. Misha whined softly and Lee shifted him to sit up on his knee, smiling when the infant giggled. He was almost one now. He turned one in two weeks. Rei sighed sadly and took a sip of his tea. They'd been in China for almost two months, with no word from Kai. Not that it was easy to get a hold of anyone here, it seemed that Lee and Mariah were the only ones that had a house phone, but it still hurt.

Mai stilled asked when he'd be coming, and Rei didn't have the heart to tell her that he might not come at all. Misha missed his father two, but couldn't express it in words and could only whimper the odd 'daddy'. Rei…Rei felt cold. Even in the hot China sun, sitting in the backyard with his best friends and children, he felt so cold. He still wore his golden wedding band on his finger, and wondered how much longer he could humour the thought of Kai coming to take them back. Misha squirmed in Lee's lap and Rei set his mug of tea on the table, reaching out to take the boy from his arms.

"Papa! Mariah show me this!" Mai squealed, attracting his attention, and then watched the child do a summersault on the green grass. He smiled proudly, nodding.

"Good job kitten." He said and she smiled brightly at the praise, following Mariah back over to the table.

The pink haired girl sat down tiredly, her hair tied back as she wore a tank top and shorts.

"How's my nephew doing?" She asked softly and Misha cooed quietly in response. She smiled fondly and then looked at Rei.

They'd welcomed Rei with open arms the second he stepped off the plane. They'd said he could live with them, no problem, as they had a decent sized house with many rooms and a large backyard for the kids to play. They had taken care of Mai and Misha as he curled up in bed, crying his eyes out, barely coming from his room for two days. And then he'd forced himself to be strong again. For the kids. He'd showered, dressed, came out for breakfast, spent the day with them, then quietly crawled back into his lonely bed after putting them both to sleep. Mai came and slept with him often enough, as she had to share a room with Mariah and Lee took care of Misha while he'd locked himself in his room, though now the playpen was moved to Rei's room where he would sleep during the night. It was cramped but it worked and no one complained.

After a month had passed, things started to get more serious. This might not be a temporary thing, Rei and his friends had realized. This could be permanent. Already the thought depressed Rei, who still forced himself to keep together for Mai and Misha's sake. But it proved to be more and more difficult each day. A pain in his chest had blossomed and wouldn't go away.

"I was thinking we could walk down to the beach that we used to go to as kids." Mariah suggested and Mai nodded in agreement. Rei smiled and nodded also, rubbing Misha's back.

"We used to spend many days there hey Rei?" Lee said and Rei laughed quietly.

"I remember." He said softly and shifted Misha who whined in protest.

"Why don't we go put on your bathing suit?" Mariah said, addressing Mai who squealed in delight and nodded.

Half an hour later they had walked down to the beach and were now situated on the sand, slightly in the shade so Misha wouldn't be uncomfortable. The infant was in his little shorts and t-shirt, a hat on his head as they had him sat up on the blanket, playing with sand. Mariah had Mai out in the water, wearing a flowery pink bathing suit with her long navy hair tied up messily. The water was warm and waves lazily rolled in. Rei, clad in a pair of shorts and a muscle shirt, sat back and sighed quietly. Lee eyed him sympathetically, his own shirt off as he sat in the sun.

"Are you gonna be alright Rei?" He asked, his voice concerned. Rei bit his lower lip, swallowing back the lump in his throat.

"I keep thinking I will be." He answered softly, brushing hair back from his eyes, glancing at Misha who had his little fingers buried underneath the sand. "But then…then I just start thinking…I don't know." He wiped at the tear that rolled down his cheek, grabbing Misha's hand away from his mouth before he ate sand. "I keep wondering if Kai really doesn't care enough…" His voice trailed off and Lee nodded slowly.

"If he doesn't care enough to come for you guys." He filled in and Rei nodded sadly, pulling Misha between his legs to play with him in the sand. He helped make a big pile of sand, shaping it silently as Misha poked at it. Lee looked out over the water, seeing Mai giggle happily as the water splashed her. "Rei even if he doesn't…" Lee watched Rei visibly tense, uncomfortable with the idea. "You're still the best parent they could ever ask for. And you do everything you can for them."

Rei sniffled and nodded, kissing Misha's head.

"I just never pictured…this. I mean I used to be alone every day with the kids, but there were still nights where Kai would help give them baths or tuck them in at night." He whispered, barely audible above the waves. "I never thought I'd have to do this alone. Raise two kids, I'm too young."

"You're not alone." Lee reminded him, gesturing out to Mariah who lifted Mai above the water and playfully swung her around. "You have us. We might not be much but we'll always be here for you."

"You guys do so much Lee, I can't thank you enough." Rei said, looking at his best friend. Lee smiled and nodded, settling himself back in the sun. It was quiet for awhile as Misha finally became tired and began to heavily lay back on his chest. Rei arranged two beach towels in the shade to lay Misha on and stroked his cheek tenderly as the little one began to doze off. "I wish mom and dad could've seen them."

"They would have adored them." Lee agreed, looking thoughtful. "They were great people."

"They were." Rei said quietly as he laid out on the large beach blanket.

A couple hours later they were back home and after a quick lunch Rei had Mai in the bath, rubbing shampoo in her hair.

"Where's daddy?" She asked and Rei, who never failed to wince at this question, silently washed the soap from her hair. "Papa?"

"Papa and daddy needed a little…space." Rei said carefully, washing her back with a cloth. She blinked her golden eyes at him in confusion.

"Why?"

"Sometimes papas and daddies just need space kitten." He answered as he began to drain the water from the tub. She was quiet as he dried her off then changed her into a pair of pyjamas for her nap.

Lifting her, he carried her small form to Mariah's room, laying her on the bed and pulling the blanket over her.

"I miss daddy." She whispered and he closed his eyes, nodding. Opening his eyes again, he brushed damp hair from her face.

"Me too." He whispered and she closed her eyes, squirming in the blankets before relaxing. "Sweet dreams kitten." He kissed her forehead before leaving the room and closing the door almost all the way.

Lee and Mariah sat in the living room, watching the TV while snacking on the watermelon Rei had cut up. Both of them looked up as he smiled tiredly.

"I think I need a nap too." He said and they both nodded, Mariah giving him a gentle smile.

"You go ahead Rei." She insisted and he nodded before going down the short hall to his bedroom.

Closing the door with a quiet click, he looked over at Misha who slept peacefully in his play pen, his tiny thumb between his lips. A bad habit he'd recently developed, Rei mused. He slipped into a pair of looser black pants and slipped into bed quietly, sighing and resting his head against the pillow. He listened to Misha's soft breathing until it lulled him to sleep, tears trailing down his cheeks without him even aware of it.

* * *

_So I finally got this posted, and I'm pretty happy with it. Couldn't make things all happy again too soon, but there's one more chapter to this three-shot! This chapter is a little shorter than the last, but it gets the point across; both Rei and Kai are miserable. _

_Hope you liked it, write a quick review to tell me what you think so far and follow the story to figure out how it'll end: will Kai man up and go to China to win him and his kids back? ;) Thanks for reading guys!_


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